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Thanks to your support, we won the National People & Planet Award!!!

Dear Forklift Fans,

Thanks to all of your votes, we’ve just won a prestigious national award from Green America. Not only that, but it came with $5,000 in prize money, which we sure can put to good use. Check out the press release below!

We’re so grateful for your help with this contest, and for all of your enthusiasm, creativity, and support over the years.

THANK YOU!

– The Forklifters

Local Business Wins National Award

Washington DC – March 17, 2014

Local green business Community Forklift is no stranger to praise, receiving frequent “Best of DC” nods and awards from local trade associations and foundations. Recently, however, they have also been recognized on the national level, receiving a People & Planet Award from Green America, the country’s leading green economy organization.

The People and Planet Award recognizes businesses around the country for their dedication to a sustainable economy: a bottom line that includes protecting workers, communities, and the environment.

As a reuse center for home improvement supplies, Community Forklift’s business model fits the bill. The organization collects unwanted and salvaged building materials throughout the metro region, then provides them to the public at very low prices, and donates them to nonprofits and folks in need.

“Most people don’t realize that construction and renovation waste makes up 40% of our nation’s solid waste,” says Nancy J Meyer, CEO of Community Forklift. “By collecting reusable items, we’re turning this waste stream into a valuable resource stream for the metro region. Since opening in 2005, we have kept $12 million of building materials from going to landfills or incinerators.”

“We now employ 45 green workers, and have annual proceeds of almost $1.5 million. Community Forklift proves that a green operation can be good for the environment ANDthe local economy.”

Three People & Planet winners are selected each season by a nationwide vote. The winter 2014 awards celebrated businesses committed to green and healthy homes. Finalists included green architects and builders, sellers of green-home and green-pet products, and sustainable pest control companies. Along a solar company in Ohio and a green cleaning service in California, Community Forklift will receive a $5,000 prize.

Meyer says, “Builders, contractors, and homeowners in the DC area have been so supportive that we’re now a victim of our own success. We’ve grown so much in eight years that our shop is bursting at the seams. However, we’ve recently been offered unfinished space in a nearby warehouse, and the People and Planet prize money will help us fix it up! More room will open up a lot of possibilities, like a paint recycling program, expanded materials processing, or a workshop for ‘upcycling’ scraps.”

About Green America
Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America (formerly Co-op America) provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses, investors, and individuals to solve today’s social and environmental problems. www.GreenAmerica.org

Community Forklift has received the 2013 Green Business Award from the Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce, the 2011 Image Award from the local chapter of the National Association of Remodeling Industries, and a 2011 Potomac Champion Award from the Alice Ferguson Foundation. The organization also received the Washington Post Express Reader’s Choice Award for Best Vintage Store of 2013, Best Home Store of 2012, and Best DIY Store of 2011 & 2010. Readers of The City Paper chose Community Forklift as “Best Hardware Store” in 2013 & 2012, and “Best Home Goods Store” in 2011 & 2010. Community Forklift is a member of ThinkLocal First DC, the MD Nonprofit Energy Alliance, Prince George’s Zero Waste, and the EPA’s Green Power Partnership.